Throughout Spring Quarter 2021, EFCampus student research assistants in the College and a Chicago Booth graduate research assistant collaborated with faculty and staff to contribute to the University of Chicago water conservation plan.

With guidance from University faculty and staff, the research assistants benchmarked UChicago water use, developed and analyzed water conservation strategies, and recommended potable water use reduction goals.  Implementation of technological improvements and behavioral changes were also analyzed.

The research assistants performed cost-benefit analyses of recommended water conservation measures, created a financial model, and helped to draft a water conservation plan. The financial model assesses important economic indicators of specific water conservation measures, including annual water cost avoidance, simple payback, and net present value. The water conservation plan highlights campus water consumption, benchmarking analyses, a water conservation project list, the social cost of water, and the financial impact. The water conservation plan will be used by Facilities Services staff to create a comprehensive campus water conservation plan to be implemented over the next three to five years.

This effort was sponsored by the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation Environmental Frontiers Campus (EFCampus), an initiative for student-faculty research and educational opportunities focused on environmental sustainability and urbanization.  Environmental Frontiers is also sponsored by RDCEP, the Program on the Global Environment, Facilities Services, and the Office of Sustainability.

A special thank you to EFCampus collaborators Annalise McGrail, MBA ’21, Anika Bhat, and Mark Siedentopf for their tremendous accomplishments and enthusiasm.  Their contributions are instrumental in finalizing the University of Chicago water reduction plan scheduled for completion this year.

The University of Chicago is a proud United States Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR® Partner, collaborating with peer institutions to reduce higher education campus energy and water usage. The goal of this energy efficiency program is to: (1) reduce the impact on the environment as about 70 percent of University greenhouse gas emissions are from energy usage in campus buildings; (2) redirect funds from utility providers to maintain University properties, and (3) reduce the risk of disruption to the University’s educational and research mission while promoting safety.  Since 2009, more than 200 energy efficiency measures have been completed on the University of Chicago campus, and buildings will continue to be the primary target of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water usage on campus.